Part 12 (1/2)

Today's drills took on an air of determination too, because Erva knew that in two days' time they would attack Manhattan. The thought made her queasy. Again, she realized reading about past events was one thing. Living through them...she didn't know if she could. The battle that commenced in two days was badly handled by the Americans. There were many casualties. Even more prisoners of war who would rot in a prison boat docked off the Hudson Bay.

Maybe she could do something about that. She blinked while she sat on a cus.h.i.+oned wicker chair that had been given to her. Inspiration set in. She'd talk Will. He wouldn't stand for anybody, not even his enemy, sitting in terrible prisons, dying horrible deaths from starvation, influenza, and smallpox. Yes, she'd talk to him about...

Two thoughts crashed into Erva's mind then that made her clutch at her heart. The first was that she was Will's enemy. She was as American as they got. For this war, she sided with the men the redcoats were targeting, the men Will had and would bring to their knees. He would kill so many of them in a couple days.

The second more earth shattering thought was how much she'd grown to care for her enemy, Will. She watched him talk to a small group of privates as he demonstrated how to run with a bayonet. He said something to the dozen boys, and they laughed as if they didn't have a care in the world. Will did that for them. By training the men, becoming so close to them, he'd ensure that the troops under him would thrive during war. Erva took in a shaky breath, realizing she still held her hand over her heart.

Will glanced at her. His smile faded when he caught her eyes. Saying something to his boys, he strode toward her. He was so big, so tall, so powerful. His black boots were spotted with mud, and much of his uniform was too, but he seemed his most content dirty, maybe even his most handsome.

Erva's body stirred with every step Will took towards her. G.o.d, why was she so attracted to him? Okay, he was nice on the eyes, but she'd seen and hung out with several good-looking men. None of them had this effect on her. He was intelligent. This she knew from everything she'd read and from spending the brief amount of time with him. Thoroughly steeped in Enlightenment philosophy, he'd related his beliefs about world-wide revolution and rights for everyone, as if that wasn't s.e.xy enough to make her think of getting her hands on him. And although being brilliant and considerate was such a turn on, again, she'd known other smart, innovative men. So why did her b.r.e.a.s.t.s feel too heavy as he neared, the apex of her legs felt like liquid gold?

”Are you all right, Erva?” he asked when he was close, then immediately dropped to one knee so she didn't have to crane her head back to look at him.

He was incredibly thoughtful. Erva knew that this was one reason why she wanted him so bad. But the other...

”Erva, my-” He cut himself off.

She suspected he was going to call her a name of endearment. She'd thought of doing the same too many times herself.

”My knee...” she could only whisper. Although the morning's ibuprofen was wearing off, which was making her a wee bit uncomfortable, that was not at all the reason she wanted to leave.

”Shall we go back home to ice it? I have that dreaded banquet to attend this evening, but shall we cancel?”

He'd said ”we” as if they were already a unit. G.o.d, she felt like it too. How could that have happened? She'd known the man a little more than a day. But then again, they'd been spending almost every waking moment together. And that was the way she liked it.

She couldn't stand the thought that soon battle would commence, soon men would suffer, soon reality would come to fruition, and Will would die.

He carefully settled an ungloved hand on hers. It was dirty and had black smudges of gunpowder on it.

”Oh, I'm sorry,” he said, trying to pull away from her.

She guessed it was because he was stained, but she didn't care. Grasping at his hand, even holding it on her lap, she tried desperately to think of the words she wanted so much to tell him. Only, out of her mouth came, ”I think we should attend the banquet, but if we could slip away to ice my knee now, I'd appreciate it.”

”Of course. Shall I call a carriage to escort us-”

”The horse is fine.”

It was more than fine. It had been exquisite feeling him at her back, especially as he nipped at her neck.

She was supposed to be professional, aloof, distant, she reminded herself.

Will lifted her hand to his mouth where he kissed two of her knuckles, reminding her why professionalism just might be overrated.

”Of course, darling.” He blinked, then winced slightly, as if waiting to be reprimanded.

The word darling had always sounded so...snotty and superficial to her. She'd thought of a stiff, old Brit couple that'd never meant the word, or worse of women calling each other darlings, in that b.i.t.c.hy, not at all endearing way.

But the way he'd said it, the way his voice hadn't tripped over the word, but more like he'd been wanting to say it all along, yet had somehow restrained himself until this very moment...well, she was a convert. She loved it, loved being called darling, as long as Will was the one doing the calling.

She grinned, not trusting her voice or her brain for much use after that.

Actually, it was Mrs. Jacobs who iced Erva's knee, as well as confide that she, Lady Ferguson, was the talk of the town. Not only was she known as a talent, but people kept speculating how long Will and she had been in love.

Wasn't that just the way people were? Through a revolution, a demanding of rights, and war, people were more interested in a love match than anything else, especially a scandalous one. Erva reminded herself yet again that Will had a reputation as a lady's man. She would be another notch on his bedpost.

Or would she?

”Mrs. Jacobs,” Erva interrupted the maid's fis.h.i.+ng for more information about her and Will. ”Do Miss Emma and Miss Lydia visit Will, er, Lord Hill often?”

The maid blinked, but then shook her head adamantly. ”Nay, not once, my lady.”

”Not once?”

Mrs. Jacobs sighed, and Erva's heart stung. She knew Will had been too good to be true. She braced herself for the truth.

”Lady Ferguson.” Mrs. Jacobs actually took one of Erva's hands and held it tight. ”General Lord Hill rents this house from my master, Mr. Williams, who's out of town on business. So I have not known the lord very long. But in all that time, there has never been a woman in this house, nor in his chamber, and I would know, since this house runs because I do. Ye might think me simple or stupid, but I pride myself on being the queen of the house, since I run it. And I know everything. Those rumors about the lord are false, and I've tried many a time to counter the claims, but still they stick.” She pulled on Erva's hand a little more. ”Please forgive my forwardness, but I'm so glad ye came. Now people will know how kind and descent Lord Hill is, because they already fawn over ye, and they'll see in the process what kind of man he is. They'll see the truth of the matter.”

Erva squeezed Mrs. Jacobs' hands as she thought of a response. Internally, she was jumping for joy, thinking that maybe, just maybe the rumors weren't true. Perhaps that's why she was so attracted to him, because he was honest, kind, brilliant...oh G.o.d, the list went on and on. And he was not, repeat not, a rake.

”I would never think you simple or stupid, Mrs. Jacobs. In my mind, you are the queen of the house.”

”Ah, thank ye, ma'am. I'm so glad ye came, so glad of your love for Lord Hill.”

Love? Erva thought, she wasn't in love. A serious case of l.u.s.t, yes, but love? Jumping into love proved reckless, breaking the rules was, as Mrs. Jacobs might say, simple and stupid.

However, fighting through all Erva's thoughts was the reminder that she had done everything right for her marriage. She'd played by the rules. She hadn't gone to bed with her husband until she knew he was serious about her-three months into the relations.h.i.+p. When her ex-husband, Cliff, had pouted over her gun skills, she'd purposely shoot wide. She'd covered up the fact that she was knowledgeable, because she knew it bothered him. She'd supported him, nurtured him, and even tried to pretend she didn't know he had cheated on her with one of her own students. She'd done so much, followed all the guidelines, but look where it had gotten her.

It wasn't so much that Cliff had broken her heart, and he had, but it was more that by the time she signed the divorce papers she had been humiliated. Yes, she'd been embarra.s.sed because of the things he'd done, but what shook her to her core was the fact that she'd disgraced herself. Not once had she been true to her heart.

”There now.” Mrs. Jacobs smiled as she smoothed the purple evening dress Erva wore. ”Ye look simply beautiful, my lady.”

Erva took Mrs. Jacobs' hands in hers again. ”Thank you.” Once more, she wanted to say something else, add to her grat.i.tude, but the words seemed evasive. So she repeated herself. ”Thank you so much.”

Surprising Erva, Mrs. Jacobs gave her a quick hug. ”My pleasure,” she whispered, then pulled away while straightening the dress one last time. ”Now, I want ye to enjoy yerself at the banquet.”

Erva decided then and there she would. And as she did so, she'd figure out a way for Will not to die.

Chapter 14.

Erva had asked Mrs. Jacobs to tell Will that she waited for him in the carriage, needing privacy to talk to him. Will's attack on Kip's Bay was slated in two days. Not only could she ask him to take it easy on the Americans, but she had to figure out a way for him not to fight the day after that battle. The day he was to die.

That was when Erva realized he'd carefully never answered her when she'd asked him why he was here. If he agreed America should have her independence, and he'd said as much just hours ago, then there was no reason for him to be here. He seemed to be pro-American if anything. So why was he here?

Many a British military man hadn't agreed with the war. In fact, both commander in chiefs of the British Army and the Royal Navy, the Howe brothers, had voted against the war too. But here they were. However, Erva knew that the brothers were monarchists who came to the war to force peace upon the rebelling colonies. They were thoroughly steeped in aristocratic hierarchy. Will was not though. When asked further as they'd traversed back to his rented manse, he'd spouted of equality, egalitarianism, talking about women voting, everyone voting.